Social Media Really Can Help Small Biz

The first time I heard that using Twitter could help small business owners attract new customers, I was completely confused. "You post 140-character updates, and that helps your business?," I asked. I just couldn't make the connection between posting short messages and attracting tons of new clientele. But when a new coffee shop opened near my house and followed me on Twitter, it all made perfect sense. Once the cafe started posting updates about their fresh-baked muffins and wide variety of breakfast crepes, I couldn't resist. I dropped by to check out their new location--and brought 4 friends along for the ride. Now I'm a Saturday regular, but chances are, I would have kept frequenting my old coffee-shop hangouts if I hadn't started following these newcomers on Twitter.

Twitter isn't the only social media giant helping small business, says this Chicago Tribune article. A lot of small business owners are having success attracting customers through Facebook, as well. Brad Wilson, owner of BradsDeals.com was skeptical about spending a lot of time on social media sites, says the article. But once he created a fan page for his business on Facebook and it attracted 1.200 followers, he started to consider himself a social media convert.

Are you still skeptical about using Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites to grow your business? Check out the article to learn social media lessons from small business owners who have cracked the code.